Vietnamese marksmen to compete in World Cup

Hanoi (VNA) - Olympian Hoang Xuan Vinh will take part in
the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup’s men’s 50m pistol event
in Germany today.

Vinh’s best result was a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro
Olympics last August.

He scored 191.3 points in 20 shots, ranking second behind Jin
Jong-oh from the Republic of Korea, who also takes part in today event in
Munich.

Jin is No 1 seed here while Vinh is No 2.

Among 105 shooters, there is another Vietnamese Tran Quoc Cuong
who hopes to win his first ever World Cup medal.

Other title favourites are Rai Jitu of India who is the world No 3
and Chinese Pang Wei, No 5, who pocketed a bronze at Rio event.

Vinh, Cuong and three other teammates are going to participate in
the 10m air pistol class on May 22.

They will face strong rivals, such as Indian World Cup winner
Matsuda Tomoyuki of Japan, Olympic bronze medalist Jitu and Olympic silver
medal holder Felipe Almeida Wu of Brazil.

Vinh, Wu, Jitu and Tomoyuki are No 1, No 2, No 4 and No 5,
respectively, in the current world ranking. At the World Cup in India,
Vinh won a silver medal in the 10m air pistol, behind Tomoyuki.

Army Colonel Vinh’s latest result was a gold at the 41st Southeast
Asia Shooting Championship in Malaysia earlier this month. Cuong finished at No
8.

Head coach Nguyen Thi Nhung said the training board hasn’t set any
targets for Vinh but with his skills and experience, Vinh can earn high results
at the event.

Also kicking off today is the women’s 25m pistol pitting
Vietnamese Le Thi Linh Chi and Dang Le Ngoc Mai against 84 rivals, including
world No 1 Anna Korakaki of Greece, No 2 Monika Karsch of Germany and No 4
Heidi Dielthelm Gerber of Switzerland. The Vietnamese duo will also compete in
the 10m air pistol category.

Nguyen Duy Hoang also tests his skills today in the men’s 10m air
rifle before he shoots in the 50m rifle three position and 50m rifle prone in
the next few days.